From the very first moment I met Mattie on my TV show three years ago, I fell in love with him. He was a ten-year-old little1 born with a life-threatening disease. But his poems of peace and 2 had touched millions of lives. We became quick friends, 3 each other.

    We often talked about the sunrises and sunsets on the web, and I 4 with Mattie that being a black, I wasn't a beach person because there was no 5 for me to tan(晒黑). He strongly 6me to go to the beach that he and his mom visited. He always 7every single second of the present. He could not understand why everybody wasn't out on the beach at 8 during their vacation, and he couldn't 9 why people would want to miss a 10. I said, “Mattie, most people don't like to 11early on vacation.”

    We also talked a lot about 12. He said to me one day, “I sometimes get a little unhappy or angry when I'm 13of dying. The boys who lived upstairs said that14 I got famous, I should always be happy and never sad. I don't 15 they understand what it's like to know you have to live your life so 16, because unless I keep getting miracles(奇迹), my life here won't 17. I am afraid of the pain of dying and worried about what I will 18 because I love living so, so, so much.”

    After a pause, he continued, “I really do want to be a 19 when I die. My dream is to bring my 20of peace to as many people as possible.”

    At the age of 53, Dr. Holden, a college president, decided to escape from university life for some time. “After being the president for too long,” he later explained, “you begin to 1 yourself and assume you have the power that you don't.” He especially wanted to learn about people who do 2 work. “I wanted to relearn things I'd forgotten.”

    Dr. Holden started his leave on a farm, 3 thirteen hours a day. After that, he planted trees in Atlanta, washed dishes in a restaurant and during the last ten days 4 a garbage collector. This unusual leave was conducted 5. Holden only telephoned his family once a week, informing them that he was healthy.

    He did have trouble seeking 6, though. He had been on the job washing dishes at the restaurant exactly one hour7 the boss came over and said, “I'm afraid you won't do. It's not your work. Sorry”. Then he 8 him two dollars. That was the first time in more than thirty years as a job 9 that Holden had heard such words. It helped him understand how a man of his age might feel when he suddenly 10 he had lost his job.

    Holden had some things to say. “A lot of my co-workers would complain when the work was too heavy,” he said, “but they'd complain 11 when there was nothing to do.” He found pride and satisfaction came 12 in the form of praise from co-workers. While pay 13, what brought the greatest satisfaction was knowing that your effort had been noticed.

    Dr. Holden returned to his post after two months of working with his hands, 14 that every young person should be required to spend at least half a year in the world of 15 before starting university studies.

    I had worried myself sick over Simon's mother coming to see me. I was a new 1 , and I gave an honest account of the students' work. In Simon's case, the grades were awfully low. He couldn't read his own handwriting. 2 he was a bright student. He discussed adult subjects with nearly adult comprehension. His work in no way reflected his 3 .So when Simon's mother entered the room, my palms(手掌心) were sweating. I was completely 4for her kisses on both my cheeks. “I came to thank you ,” she said, surprising me beyond speech.5 me, Simon had become a different person. He talked of how he 6 me, he had begun to make friends, and for the first time in his twelve years, he had 7 spent an afternoon at a friend's house. She wanted to tell me how grateful she was for the 8 son. She kissed me again and left.

    I had nurtured(培养) in her I sat, stunned ( 惊 呆), for about half an hour , 9 what had just happened. How did I make such a life-changing difference to that boy without 10 knowing it? What I finally came to 11 was one day, several months before, when some students were 12 reports in the front of the class. Jeanne spoke13 ,and to encourage her to raise her voice, I had said, “Speak up. Simon's the expert on this. He is the 14 one you have to convince, and he can't hear you in the 15 of the room.” That was it. From that day on, Simon had sat up straighter, paid more attention, 16 more, and became happy. And it was all because he 17 to be the last kid in the last row. The boy who most needed 18was the one who took the last seat that day.

    It taught me the most 19 lesson over the years of my teaching career, and I'm thankful that it came 20 and positively. A small kindness can indeed make a difference.

    Anna is a nurse at the National Institutes of Health Center (NIHC). She didn't want the young 1 there, who couldn't go outside, to miss out on the winter 2when it was snowing outside last winter.

    The kids could see the snow 3. But they couldn't 4 it. Many of the kids had a type of immunodeficiency (免疫缺陷) and were waiting to have bone-marrow transplants (骨髓移植). The immunodeficiency put them at risk of infection, 5 while they were having transplants, they were even weaker, so they were6 to go out or be around many people.

    Also, there were kids from all over the world at the center and some of them had 7seen snow in their lifetime. Anna didn't want them to 8 the fun, so she had a(n) 9. Since the patients couldn't go out into the snow, Anna filled up a basin with 10 on her own and 11 it right to them. She made several trips 12 so all the kids would have fresh snow to 13.

    The children made snowballs, 14 the snow with colored pens and made snowmen. One child even 15 Anna with a snowball. They had a very 16snow day.

    After the children's parents knew what she had done for the kids, they 17her. Because of her, the children experienced the 18 brought by snow. One parent said, “My daughter has been at NIHC for almost eight weeks and has hardly been able to 19 her room, so it was so much fun for her to be able to play with the snow.”

    Anna was glad that she could do something to make the children 20.

    I sat and waited for Kathleen to speak. “Annie,” she said, “A food bank that serves the elderly is asking for 1. I'd like you to organize the event.” “Well, errr…sure.” As I stuttered(结巴地说) through my 2 , all I could think was, “What? Why me?”

    I walked back to my office wondering where to 3. This was a time 4 the economy was fading. The rise in unemployment forced many of my coworkers to 5 to survive. How could I ask them for more?

    That evening I drove home, depressed. Then I remembered once my father was out of work. Mom wrote a note to Jim, the milkman, asking him not to 6 any more milk. Two days later Jim picked up the 7 and left four liters of milk. He left a message, 8, “Kids need milk.” The milk delivery 9 as usual and Jim never collected a cent 10 us.

    The memory of Jim's 11 fired my enthusiasm. Perhaps I'd be in for a pleasant surprise.

    The next morning I 12 signs about our food drive all over the cafeteria and on every notice board I could find. Each sign said, “Food drive to support the poor elderly! 13 of non-perishable(不易腐的) foods are greatly needed.”

    Within a few days I had to locate empty office space to 14 a large number of contributions we had 15. One of my coworkers, Maggie, made the rounds with me every day from one department to another to pick up the canned goods and other 16. Though over sixty, she 17 manage to push our food trolley(手 推车) around like a woman half her age.

    I asked her where she got all the enthusiasm. She said, “With the unemployment rate touching 10 percent, I can't think of a better way to be 18 for keeping our jobs 19 so many have lost theirs. Sure money is tight. But when isn't it? People need food.”

    As I listened to Maggie, the milkman's words 20 in my ears, “Kids need milk.”

    I remember the first day when I saw Sally playing basketball. I watched in wonder as she struggled her way through the crowed of boys on the playground. She seemed so

    1 but she managed to shoot jump shots just over their heads and into the net. The boys always tried to stop her 2 nobody could.

    I began to notice Sally at other times, basketball in hand, playing 3. She practiced dribbling(运球) and 4 over and over.

    One day I asked Sally why she 5 so much. Without a moment of hesitation she said, "I want to go to college. The only way I can go is to get a 6. I'm going to play college basketball and I want to be the best one. I believe if I am 7 enough, I will get one. My father has told me that if the dream is big enough, the facts don't8. "

    I 9 her through those junior high years and into high school. Every week, she led her team to 10. One day in her senior year, I saw her sitting on the grass, her head

    11 in her arms. Slowly and quietly, I walk 12 and sat down beside her. "What's wrong?" I asked. "Oh, nothing," came a soft reply, "I am just too short. " The 13 told her that at 165 cm she would probably never play for a top team -- still less she would be 14 a scholarship -- so she should stop dreaming about college.

    I felt she was extremely 15. I asked her if she had talked to her dad about it yet. She told me that her father said those coaches were 16. They didn't understand the17 of a dream.

    The next year, Sally was seen by a college basketball coach after a big game. She was 18 offered a scholarship and 19 to the college education that she had 20and worked toward for all those years.

    It's true: if the dream is big enough, the facts don't count.